In a shock verdict in France, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, one of the world’s most powerful women, has been convicted of negligence over a $400-million state payout she okayed as finance minister back in 2008.
The decision comes as a surprise just days after the state’s prosecutor had called the evidence against the IMF’s managing director “very weak” and recommended an acquittal. The good news for Lagarde? The court handed down no punishment. But back in Washington, the IMF may have other ideas.
